Report: HHS Cancels Grants to Planned Parenthood over Sexually Explicit Content Aimed at Youth

Late last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told more than 50 organizations, including Planned Parenthood affiliates, that it is axing teen pregnancy prevention grants over pushing “sexually explicit” content on young people.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health’s (OASH) Office of Population Affairs gives grants to organizations that instruct on teen pregnancy prevention or write curricula aimed at preventing teen pregnancy. However, HHS found that many of the organizations were using materials that are “medically inaccurate,” “age-inappropriate,” and “sexually explicit,” in violation of the statute that created the program, Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell first reported for The Daily Signal. 

“After a review of all curricular content, OASH believes that some curricula normalize adolescent sexual activity and are not age appropriate, as they contain overly sexually explicit or pornographic content that is not necessary to achieve the TPP program’s statutory mission,” a termination letter first obtained by the outlet reads. 

“As a result, OASH is adjusting its discretionary Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program award portfolio, which includes the decision not to renew some of its TPP Program awards in order to better prioritize agency resources towards the above-mentioned priorities,” the letter continues. 

The letters were sent to several grantees, including Planned Parenthood California Central Coast; Planned Parenthood of The Heartland Inc.; the Wisconsin Department of Health; the Maryland Department of Health; the Baltimore City Health Department; the Oklahoma City-County Health Department; the Public Health Authority of Cabarrus County, North Carolina; and Hennepin County, Minnesota.

The termination of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention grants, which include 53 of 67 from the Biden administration, amounts to a total of $67 million, per the report.

Some grantees utilized teaching materials that allegedly encouraged sexual activity, according to the report.

“For instance, the Maryland Department of Health used a curriculum including a role play scenario with two boys weighing whether or not to use condoms to avoid contracting HIV. The department did not respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment by time of publication,” Mitchell reported. 

Planned Parenthood California Central Coast used the Love Notes curriculum, which is aimed at teens ages 14-19, and includes “various forms of pornography,” as well as a “celebrity interview discussing exposure to abusive pornography beginning at age 11 and escalating to graphic, violent content by age 14,” according to the report. 

Planned Parenthood California Central Coast reportedly did not reply to the outlet’s request for comment. 

Besides terminating the grants, HHS announced two new grant opportunities that promote body literacy instead of “gender ideology,” abortion, and birth control. HHS said the grants will “focus on programs that do not promote material that depicts, describes, exposes, or presents obscene, indecent, or sexually explicit content, including content that normalizes or promotes sexual activity for minors.”